Hans Gestrich (17 September 1895 – 21 November 1943) was a German ordoliberalist economist and oppositionist for Germany's deflationary policies ().
Early life and career Gestrich was born in Berlin, Germany, on 17 September 1895.
He became press officer for the Reichsbank in 1931. He aligned his beliefs with Swedish economist Knut Wicksell, studying the business cycle theory and implementing it into his career. Gestrich participated in the .
He assumed the position of economic advisor for the Prussian State Bank and held it until his death in 1943.
Works Gestrich is credited as a researcher of the German modern credit theory. He worked alongside Wilhelm Lautenbach, Otto Pfleiderer, , and Wolfgang Stützel.
Neue Kreditpolitik, 1936 His book Neue Kreditpolitik discusses credit mechanics and the workings of the modern banking system, specifically how it's adapted for the European continent. The book analyzes how banks create money through credit expansion and contraction. He uses balance sheet diagrams to showcase these booking processes.
Kredit und Sparen, 1944 Gestrich criticises the loanable funds theory, which posits that saving is a prerequisite for credit provision. He argues that credit supply is not limited by the amount of saving, instead depending on banks' ability and willingness to provide loans and borrowers' willingness to incur debt.
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